Hugo Chavez Dead: Media See No End to Tough Control

Late president shuttered TV channels, radio stations for 'inciting rebellion'

Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez died Tuesday but with his anointed successors, Vice President Nicolas Maduro or National Assembly prexy Diosdado Cabello, likely to take over, Venezuelan media can expect the same strong-arm tactics that saw the demise of the country’s oldest broadcaster RCTV and dozens of radio stations for alleged regulatory infractions following criticism of the regime.

The government has deployed the armed forces and asked Chavez supporters to fill the streets and plazas to pray for Chavez. With all the fervent Chavistas rallying to the call, “my immediate concern is the safety of the reporters from Globovision and other media that have been critical of Chavez,” said Russ Dallen, publisher of the Latin America Herald Tribune.

Newspapers El Universal and Nacional have retained their independence despite government pressure.

The president’s death follows weeks of speculation about his health and unfounded reports of his demise.

Protesters spilled out onto the streets of Caracas last weekend demanding the truth about Chavez’s health after a report from CNN Chile in late February had Guillermo Cochez, the former Panamanian ambassador to the Organization of American States, claiming that the cancer-stricken Chavez had been brain dead since Dec. 31.

The report was locally disseminated on print and social media, spreading like wildfire on Twitter where Venezuela ranks 13th in the world by number of accounts.

Local radio and TV stations dared not repeat the news for fear that they would be charged for “inciting rebellion,” as per Venezuela’s media law.

However, they did cover the protests, prompting the government to accuse them of fomenting unrest and warning that it would not stop Chavez supporters from retaliating, referring to past instances when pro-Chavez thugs attacked the offices of opposition-leaning news network, Globovision.

Long the subject of government pressure, Globovision has been shut out of the country’s transition to digital broadcasting. While most of the media in Venezuela tamed their stance on Chavez to preserve their licenses, Globovision remained the last bastion of opposition on the airwaves, reaching some 2.5 million via cable and satellite platforms.

Last year, Globovision paid a $2 million fine amid accusations by media regulators of distorting and reporting false news coverage of a prison riot.

Chavez, 58, who was first diagnosed with cancer in June 2011, underwent a fourth round of surgery in Cuba in December. He returned to Caracas last month to allegedly continue a “more intense” treatment phase.